


countdown of our lives

by yayame



Category: NU'EST
Genre: Alternate Universe - Historical, Fluff and Angst, Historical Fantasy, M/M, why does everything I write have angst???
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-03
Updated: 2018-10-03
Packaged: 2019-07-24 10:50:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16173572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yayame/pseuds/yayame
Summary: gumiho (n.) a mythical fox with nine tails common in Korean folklore





	countdown of our lives

**Author's Note:**

> //incomplete//   
> //hopefully i'll come back and finish this soon//

     The legend of the gumiho is said to have originated from a curse that had befallen a selfish king whose greed knew no bounds. He had pillaged nations and destroyed kingdoms in his quest, without any mercy for those whose lives he had ruined. 

     As the king’s greed knew no bounds, he had unwittingly destroyed a temple dedicated to the dragon emperor who lived in the sky. Angry, the dragon emperor looked down upon earth, peering into the old kingdom of Korea and into the heart of the selfish king. 

     In the heart of this king, he saw a bottomless pit of greed; but as he searched deeper into his soul, he saw something else. A shimmering glint of selflessness that was reserved for one being: the king’s spouse and one true love. 

     Having found his answer, the dragon emperor descended upon earth to give the king one last chance to end his greed and save his soul. The dragon emperor stood in the court, having the audience of the king and his consort before him. He warned the king that he would place a curse on him if he could not stop his greed but the king merely laughed in his face, refusing to acknowledge his selfishness. 

     Frustrated and humiliated, the dragon emperor struck a curse on the king to live as a nine-tailed fox, a tail for every life his spouse would live. The king would be forced to watch his consort be reborn and live nine lives without the memory of his husband; and in every life, the king would find his spouse and once more, they would fall in love. But as the king’s spouse grew older and weaker, the gumiho king would not age a day, forced to watch his love succumb to the cruelty of time. 

     And with each passing life, the gumiho would grow lonelier and lonelier as he awaited for his love. 

 

**Life 1**

     In the first life, Minhyun settles in a rundown home on top of a tall mountain, overlooking the village. He knows the rumors that float through the town, from one peasant’s mouth to another’s, about the hidden man in the hills. The man who carries the demons of a thousand warriors. The man with a blackened heart. The man who feeds off the misery of innocent children. He knows he is now a monster designed to scare children from venturing too far into the mountains; supposed to veer them away from the dark shadows that lurk in the forests. 

     The younger children do avoid him; they don’t pass the edge of the hills, too afraid to try and venture near his dilapidated home. But sometimes the older teenagers dare one another to spend a night on his property, citing visions of fox-like eyes watching them from the shadows or sharp teeth bared under the moonlight. 

     He thinks it’s another rowdy teen, acting on false confidence who passes the gates of his house; he lurks in the shadows, waiting for the right moment to flash sharp eyes and scare the youth away as he always does but stops when he sees a familiar face. 

_      Jonghyun. _

     Jonghyun shuffles carefully, clutching the cotton front of his top with a tight fist and wide eyes, wary of every noise and shadow. He looks just as he had when he sat on top of a gold throne; bright eyes wide with rosy cheeks and black hair that falls in his eyes. Even in dull clothes, he stands out with the sort of grace that the nobility envy. Minhyun wants to reach out and touch him, make sure this isn’t some fever dream he’s having from the heat of the summer. But then Jonghyun turns around and they lock eyes; his former consort doesn’t startle or scream like those before him. Instead, he gazes at him curiously. 

     Jonghyun reaches out and he can’t help but be pulled in like all those years ago when their eyes met across the palace courtyard. He shuffles forward with a blank stare, unable to believe the sight in front of him as he stops just inches in front of the other male. Jonghyun looks up at him with wide eyes, studying him before carefully reaching out a hand to touch his face. 

     “Have you waited long, my king?”

**Life 2**

     Their first life is interrupted by the sudden invasion of barbarians into the village; even though, he tries to hide Jonghyun, tries to fend off the lawless savages that threaten him, his husband is executed in front of him with the rest of the village victims as he watches helplessly. 

     He hopes their second life is better. He builds a life as a successful merchant, waiting patiently every day for Jonghyun to reappear. He purchases a cottage away from the noise and bustle of the town with tall gates so no intruder will trespass. He spends every day watching the sun set, counting every night he spends without Jonghyun, patiently waiting. 

     But as the years pass by and he still has not caught a glimpse of his past husband, he begins to lose hope. Maybe the curse was a lie; maybe Jonghyun wasn’t reborn; maybe he’s cursed to live eternity alone. 

     Minhyun ventures into town, bored of being cooped up his home, awaiting his love to return. He strolls through the market, uninterested in the merchants that try to pull him into their stalls. He glanced at a particular booth with large looms and saturated silks on display. He stalks closer to look at the embroidered details, admiring a navy blue hanbok in particular; Jonghyun looked lovely in all shades of blue. 

     In their past lives as king and consort, he used to dress Jonghyun in the best satins and finest silks. Now, that he thinks about it, Jonghyun looked good in any color. He continues to peruse through the store, collecting an armful of hanboks to store away for Jonghyun. 

     Just as he begins to reach into his silken pouch to fish out a handful of bronze and silver coins when a figure brushes past him. He catches the figure in his peripheral vision and he whips around so quickly that he almost gives himself whiplash.


End file.
